The document discusses alternatives to gasoline-powered cars, including electric and self-driving vehicles. It provides learning objectives and questions about how gasoline powers cars, factors that impact fuel efficiency, and parts of gasoline cars that may become obsolete in electric vehicles. Links are provided to learn more about fuel economy, electric cars, and Tesla Motors. Students are encouraged to submit a project by May 15th on autonomous vehicles and electric cars, considering how transportation may change in the next 10-30 years.

1. Gasoline / electric & Self-driving cars
20th century innovations like cars and mass transportation
changed the way people live and work. From Ford Model T to
4th - 8th grade modern day cars: all use gasoline. Can we continue to use fossil
fuels to power our cars? What are the alternatives?
Time required: 4-8 hours Last date for contest submission: May 15, 2013.
(power point or word document or create a Google site page
Learn more about autonomous cars and electric cars. What will happen to cars in next 10-30 years? Would
you rely on self-driving car to go around or humans are better? Who is working on autonomous cars and
how do they make the cars “see” the roads/lights and decide where to go? Interested to learn more?
Learning Objectives
 Do you know how gasoline powers our cars and provide power for
•Working principle of
gasoline powered car. lights and A/C in the car?
Explain 4 cylinder and 6, 8  Why some cars use less gasoline compared to others? What factors
cylinder engine?
impact ‘mileage’ of a car?
•What alternate fuels can
be used to power a car?  What can drivers do to improve their mileage?
•Do you think electric cars
are better, explain your
 What parts of gasoline car become obsolete when you
reasons? design eclectic car?
•Why don’t we have lot of
electric cars today and
what will it take to make
more of them?
Learn why electric cars
are so quite and what
makes them better?
Learn more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_economy_in_automobiles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LsSPFlCUu0
http://www.teslamotors.com/ ( You can see this page and links on our website. Click on
“challenges for kids” on our home page.)
models
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